I am sharing this post that I wrote a long time ago for my personal blog. I felt it worked well for this theme month and I was thinking about it after taking my kids to a production of Beauty and the Beast this past week.
I kept this month's theme open to all Disney and fairy tale characters because I didn’t want to limit it to just the “princesses.” However, there is no one I can relate to more than Belle from Beauty and the Beast.
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| Picture from Look Magazine |
The first reason is really obvious. She loves books!!! That was the first thing that I loved about her, aside from her beautiful singing voice. Her passion for books is so strong that she’ll read the same book twice and she’ll walk through the streets while focused intently on the story in her hand. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when the Beast gives her his library. Such a romantic gesture! It reminds me of how my husband supports my love for books and built bigger shelves so I could display more of them. (And I still keep running out of room!) He is also supportive of my blog and everything surrounding it, such as going to meet authors. The gesture also reminds me of the first time I went to the used book store at the library. There must be millions of books there! I felt like the Beast had given me his library by showing me this store.
Another reason I’m like Belle is that I look for inner beauty. Sure, I can recognize if someone is physically attractive. However, if they are ugly on the inside, I want nothing to do with them. (It’s the same way that Belle felt about Gaston.) A person’s true beauty reflects through when they are kind and loving. Looks will fade over time but treating others as you would want to be treated is an eternal value.
Everyone in the town thought Belle was a bit peculiar and that she didn’t fit in with the people in the town, despite her inner and outer beauty. (It seems like they had a problem with her desire to read all the time. If that makes her odd, then that makes a lot of people in this world odd!) I believe that I don’t completely fit in to any one group in particular. I have friends and I get along well with people individually. When it comes to social situations, I tend to stand on the sidelines or on the outskirts of a group. Either I have nothing to say about the topic or I just look like I’m trying to blend in. I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. I didn’t cave into peer pressure when I was younger and wasn’t much of a wild party girl in college. (I even waited till I was 21 to drink alcohol.) I still do other odd things like reading during social situations (such as at baseball games, during my lunch break at work or even when people come over to visit and play games), singing out loud at random times, spacing out (going off into my own little world), etc.
Belle seems to talk about wanting more than a provincial life. She lives in a small town where the routines are the same every day. I live in a suburban area, but in a small town within that area. I love where I live, but I also feel like there's a sense of routine in my life. I try to rise above just going through the motions. While I'm extremely happy with my husband and kids, I also seek out things that make me an individual, as I don't like to lose myself by just being a wife and mother. (I am not one of those moms from 1950's television shows!) A while back, I read a book called "Here, Home, Hope," by Kaira Rouda, that voices aloud the things I'm usually thinking. I feel like I have done that with my book blog, while fostering my love for books at the same time. I'm sure Belle would have a book blog if she were a real person living in the 21st century. :)
There are a few other ways I am like Belle, such as being loyal to and protecting my family, having a stubborn streak, and talking to inanimate objects (just kidding about that last part). Overall, she is my favorite Disney character of all time and I’m proud to have so much in common with her!
"For once it might be grand, to have someone understand...I want so much more than they've got planned."
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| Picture from Revelist.com |
1 comment:
We sound alike when it comes to social situations. I am on the outer edge with not a lot to say and just trying to fit in too. But that surprises me about you. I picture you as more outgoing. But I guess if the conversation is right and with the right people, we both will feel comfortable and be able to talk about anything. I have also found that some of the prettiest people are not so pretty on the inside. I have started unfollowing people on Facebook who tend to be mean and criticizing.
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